Reception to honor retiring park superintendent

Guy Busby, Press-RegisterHugh Branyon stands at the entrance to the Gulf State Park where he has been superintendent for 33 years.Residents and officials will recognize Gulf State Park Superintendent Hugh Branyon on Friday for his almost 50 years of service to the Gulf Coast community and Alabama conservation. The reception will be from 1 to 5 p.m at the Gulf Shores Adult Activities Center on Clubhouse
Hugh Branyon holds two rattlesnakes killed at the Gulf State Park in this 1981 photoDrive.

Branyon, 70, will retire at the end of December after serving as park superintendent since 1976. Branyon began his career at the park in 1957 as a summer worker while still in his teens. He has been a full-time employee with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources since 1960.

Before becoming Gulf State Park superintendent, Branyon served as director of four other state parks around Alabama. He was also chief of operations for maintenance for the state park system from 1967 to 1972.

In 1979, three years after Branyon took over as superintendent, Hurricane Frederic smashed the park and much of the Alabama Gulf Coast. It would be three years before the park was completely reopened.

Branyon said he and his wife, Carol, plan to remain in the community after his retirement.